


Merlin's Adventures Through the Alphabet

by sinceresapphire



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-02-17
Packaged: 2018-05-13 20:03:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5715352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinceresapphire/pseuds/sinceresapphire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of one-shots based on the words starting with each letter of the alphabet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A is for Arrow (Gen Fic)

**Author's Note:**

> Some of the stories will be canon compliant, some will be canon divergent and some will be set in alternate universes.  
> There will be various ships but not every chapter will have one.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin may not enjoy these hunting trips but he hates people trying to kill Arthur more, no matter how much of a prat the king can be sometimes.

Another hunting trip…..that was just how Merlin wanted to spend his day. What did he do to deserve this punishment from Arthur? Seriously, if King Prat knew how many times Merlin saved his life, he wouldn’t be forced to suffer like this.

Merlin let out a sigh as he adjusted his hold on the reins.

Maybe, just maybe, the hunting trip wouldn’t be so bad if it managed to be just a hunting trip and not a ‘protect-Arthur-from-bandits’ trip at the same time.

If only there was some way for him to keep track of how long it takes bandits to attack the group so he could compare them and see if there was some kind of pattern or something. But that was just wishful thinking.

Suddenly, Merlin felt a hard apple hit him in the head.

“What was that for?”

He noticed that the apple came from Arthur.

“ _Mer_ lin, if you had been doing your job, you would have noticed that we’re ready to hunt.”

“Not my fault you were boring me to death.”

Arthur rolled his eyes in his servant’s direction.

Scrambling off of his horse, Merlin grabbed what he needed then gestured for the king to lead the way.

“After you, _sire_.”

Ignoring the sarcastic ‘sire’, Arthur got to work searching for tracks.

Once the hunt began, Merlin was up to his usual tricks to scare off the prey without being obvious about it.

“One of these days Merlin, we’re going to have a successful hunting trip where you don’t scare away everything that’s around us.”

Merlin simply gave him a ‘Who? Me?’ look in response.

Gwaine chuckled at their antics while Elyan, Lancelot and Percival grinned.

They continued with the hunt with Arthur looking at Merlin suspiciously every time a noise startled an animal right before one of them was going for the kill.

“Why do I even bother bringing a clumsy oaf like you on these trips?”

“You don’t think this through though you’d have to have a brain to think in the first place.”

“Shut up, idiot.”

“Prat.”

“ _Mer_ lin……”

Merlin gave Arthur a faux somber look as the other man refocused on tracking a deer.

Just as they were about to move from their current location, Merlin’s ears caught a familiar sound that caused him to groan quietly.

Apparently, their good luck was about to run out.

Before he could warn either Arthur or the knights, a group of bandits rushed out of the cover of the trees and started attacking the knights.

A stupid idea really; who in their right mind would think attacking the Knights of Camelot was a good idea?

Merlin prepared to run for cover so he could protect Arthur with his magic easier when he noticed that their group was surrounded. There was no way he’d be able to use it now, not with him being in Elyan and Leon’s line of sight.

The sound of arrows flying caught him off guard. 

As if the day could get any better.

Merlin winced when a couple ended up in Arthur’s vicinity but weren’t close enough to hit the king.

When a couple more arrows got dangerously close to the king, he started to panic internally.

Thankfully, he got the opportunity he needed when Leon and Elyan turned their backs on him to go help Lancelot and Gwaine.

Using his magic, he slowed down time so he was able to get to Arthur’s side and push him out of the way so he wasn’t hit by the arrow in his back. Unfortunately for Merlin, the arrow hit him in the upper arm.

Arthur was startled by the sudden impact to his side.

“Merlin, what do you think you’re……”

He trailed off when he noticed the arrow lodged in the tree.

There wasn’t enough time for him to say anything when he was attacked by another bandit wielding a sword.

Several minutes later, the knights got the upper hand and the last of the bandits were cut down.

Leon looked around at the knights and the dead bodies littering the ground.

“Is everyone alright?”

He got nods from his fellow knights who were trying to come down from the adrenaline rush before turning his attention to his king.

“Arthur?”

Leon noticed that Arthur was kneeling next to Merlin who was sitting on the ground and quickly made his way over with the other knights following.

Arthur hit the back of Merlin’s head lightly.

“You idiot. What do you think you were doing?”

Merlin glared at him.

“Saving your life, you clot pole.”

Lancelot looked between the two men in concern.

“Is everything alright here?”

Arthur huffed.

“Merlin managed to get hit by an arrow when he pushed me to the ground.”

It was then that the knights noticed their friend was holding his arm.

Gwaine rushed over to where their horses were to grab Merlin’s satchel that held the medical supplies in it.

Lancelot helped Merlin remove his jacket then roll up his sleeve so he’d be able to clean and bandage his wound.

Taking one of the water-skins, Lancelot poured a little of the water on his arm to remove the blood then wrapped it up with a bandage.

“There you go, my friend.”

“Thanks Lancelot.”

The knight helped him stand up.

Arthur looked around.

“Alright, it will be dark soon so we should head back to Camelot.”

The group nodded then headed back to their horses, Merlin trailing behind as he had to repack his bag.

Merlin may not enjoy these hunting trips but he hates people trying to kill Arthur more, no matter how much of a prat the king can be sometimes.


	2. B is for Birthday (Merlin/Lancelot)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin had to admit, this was his best birthday so far even if he had to get up at the crack of dawn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a Merlin/Lancelot Modern AU

Merlin was suspicious and had been for the last couple of weeks. It was clear that his boyfriend was up to something but his attempt at subtly was moderately working. No matter what he tried, he couldn’t get a single thing out of Lancelot and would, in fact, be distracted by his kisses.

Now on the morning of his birthday, Merlin was woken up at an obscenely early hour which he didn’t appreciate.

“Mmm…..Lance-lot…..it’s six in the morning on my birthday. The only reason to wake me up this early is if someone is in the hospital and you would be a lot more panicked. Let me go back to sleep….”

Lancelot leaned down and kissed his forehead.

“Come on, you can sleep in the car.”

Merlin arched an eyebrow at his boyfriend in an uncanny impression of his uncle Gaius.

“And why would I be sleeping in the car instead of this bed with my gorgeous boyfriend?”

Blushing slightly, he leaned down again and brushed his lips lightly over Merlin’s.

“It’s a surprise, so you’ll just have to wait and see.”

“You could at least give me a proper kiss then. It is my birthday, after all.”

Lancelot chuckled lightly.

“I can certainly do that. After all, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t give my boyfriend a proper kiss on his birthday?”

Lancelot reached out and gently cupped Merlin’s cheek, rubbing his thumb lightly over Merlin’s stunning cheek bones for a few moments as he stared at him. Their lips connected and Merlin could feel his heart start to beat faster as their lips glided over each other for a few moments.

Letting Lancelot pull away, Merlin grinned up at his boyfriend.

“Alright, Mr. Mysterious. What do I have to do to get this birthday surprise?”

“Just get dressed; everything else is packed and waiting in the car for us.”

Merlin’s curiosity got the better of him causing him to nearly forget to put on socks and shoes before leaving the house.

Opening the passenger side door, Merlin was surprised to see a pillow and blanket sitting on the seat.

“I figured you would like to sleep a bit more since the drive takes a couple hours.”

“Well, aren’t you thoughtful?”

The question was rhetorical.

Since it was so early and dark out, Merlin couldn’t see much inside of the car and what was in there, was covered by a sheet. He reached out to move it when a hand wrapped around his wrist and pulled it back gently causing him to pout.

“Don’t even think about it. The surprise will be worth it when we get to our destination.”

Lancelot brushed his lips over Merlin’s pouting lips before letting go of his wrist and settled into the driver’s seat, pulling on his seat belt before starting the car.

Following his boyfriend’s lead, Merlin put on his seat belt before covering his legs with the soft fleece and placing the pillow up against the door so he could lean against it.

As Lancelot pulled out of their driveway and heads towards the freeway, Merlin yawned loudly as he snuggled against the pillow.

“Tired much?”

Merlin glared at Lancelot but it was more cute and endearing than threatening in the other man’s opinion because it lacked Merlin’s usual energy.

“You.  Woke. Me. Up. Really. Early. What did you expect?”

Lancelot smiled as he reached over and squeezed Merlin’s hand.

Merlin yawned again then closed his eyes as he tried to more sleep.

A few moments later, or that’s what it felt like to Merlin, he was being shaken away by Lancelot.

“Hey love, we’re here.”

Stretching his arms above his head and cracking his back, Merlin looked around and noticed they were parked in front of a familiar cabin.

Lancelot recognized the moment when his boyfriend realized where they were.

“Arthur owed me a couple favors, so we have his cabin all to ourselves for the long weekend.”

“Really?”

Merlin grinned brightly at Lancelot before throwing his arms around him, awkwardly leaning over the center consol.

“Really. We can do whatever you want.”

Merlin pulled back and smirked up at him.

“ _Anything_   I want?”

Lancelot nodded his head.

The two men got out of the car, carrying their bags that had everything they would need for the three day weekend.

Once they were settled in, Lancelot walked up behind Merlin and wrapped his arms around his waist; pulling him backwards into his chest so there was no space between them then placed his chin on Merlin’s shoulder.

“So what do you want to do first, sweetheart?”

Merlin tapped his chin with his finger as he leaned back against his boyfriend.

“Let’s get the fire started then get some more sleep until its light out so we can actually see where we’re going.”

“Sounds perfect.”

He let go of Merlin before heading outside to the side of the cabin where the firewood was stored while Merlin made himself comfortable on the couch in front of the fire.

Lancelot came back in with an arm full of wood, dropped it gently onto the floor then set about getting the fire lit.

With the roaring fire as their backdrop, Lancelot joined Merlin over on the couch. He climbed behind him then pulled Merlin close so they were back to chest.

Merlin let out a content sigh as the cabin started to warm up.

“Happy birthday, Merlin.”

Lancelot kissed the closest part of Merlin’s head.

“Thank you, Lancelot. This is exactly how I wanted to spend my birthday.”

“A word of warning though: Gwaine is determined to take you out one night for drinks.”

Merlin let out a groan.

“That won’t end well, it never does.”

“You know he means well though. You’re his best friend.”

Merlin smiled.

“Better him than Arthur I suppose. He’s going to be a right prat when we get to work on Monday; just because we spent the weekend here.”

Merlin shifted so he could look at Lancelot.

“It will be completely worth it though. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

The two men settled down to get a couple more hours of sleep.

Merlin had to admit, this was his best birthday so far even if he had to get up at the crack of dawn.


	3. C is for Chair (Merlin/Arthur)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The old chair was the most comfortable piece of furniture and it was the spot both men retreated to when they had a bad day.  
> However, their bad days happened on different days but not this time.

The old lounge chair had certainly seen better days if the rips and tears, worn out fabric was anything to go by and it really wasn’t a surprise as it was one of the first pieces of furniture that Merlin and Arthur bought for their place six years ago. Despite all of that, it was still the most comfortable piece of furniture and it was the spot both men retreated to when they had a bad day.

Usually, their bad days happened on different days but not all of the time.

Arthur slowly dragged his feet into the flat that he shared with his best friend, Merlin. It had been a long day and his father was more of a pain in the arse than usual. All he was looking forward to was taking a long break in the chair where he didn’t have to think about anything.

The moment he stepped through the door and into the living room, he frowned.

A head of black hair could be seen over the back of the chair and that simply would not do.

“ _Mer_ lin, you’re gonna have to find somewhere else to sit. I’ve had a really bad day.”

Turning around in the chair, Merlin met Arthur’s gaze and shook his head.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. My day has been completely horrible.”

Only his friend Gwaine could cause so much chaos and come out of it smelling like roses while other people were stuck cleaning it up.

There was no way Merlin was giving up this chair to Arthur.

Dropping his briefcase on the floor, Arthur’s frown deepened.

“Get up, Merlin. Now.”

Merlin met his frown with one of his own.

“Who died and made you king?”

“Get up or else.”

Merlin smirked.

“Or else what? You’re going to make me? I’d like to see you try.”

Taking a deep breath, Arthur made his way over to the chair and stood in front of it.

Then he reached down and wrapped his hand around Merlin’s wrist before giving him a gentle but firm tug; pulling him to his feet because he caught Merlin off guard and let him stumble over his feet when he let go.

Sitting down in the chair, Arthur looked down at Merlin, who was sprawled out on the floor with a smug grin on his face.

“You were saying, Merlin?”

“You’re a prat, you know that?”

Merlin wasn’t pouting, of course he wasn’t except he was until an idea came to him.

Slowly, he got to his feet and stared at Arthur as menacingly as he could, making him look like a Chihuahua standing up to a Golden Retriever.

“Are you going to try to do what I did to you, to me? You’re not strong enough.”

Merlin took a couple of carefully measured steps towards Arthur.

“Oh no. I have a better idea……a compromise if you will.”

Arthur couldn’t help but be intrigued by that.

“Oh? And what is this compromise of yours?”

Not giving any warning, Merlin plopped down on Arthur’s lap causing the other man to startle.

“Merlin, what do you think you’re doing?”

“Compromising.”

Arthur tried to shove Merlin off of his lap but he was prepared for that and clung onto Arthur tightly.

Huffing and muttering to himself, Arthur shifted his body position in the chair.

He only did it because he didn’t want his legs to fall asleep and not because he cared that Merlin should be comfortable or anything.

“If you insist on sitting here then we are going to watch what I want to watch.”

Merlin shrugged, he didn’t mind most of the shows Arthur watched.

Turning on the tv, Arthur went to the shows they had recorded on the DVR and selected the latest episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. that he hadn’t been able to watch when it aired because of his father.

The two men settled in to watch the hour that the show ran for.

Arthur couldn’t help smiling to himself when he felt Merlin relax once he was sure Arthur wasn’t going to push him off.

Without thinking, he wrapped his arm around Merlin’s waist because maybe, he didn’t mind having him in his lap after all.

In response, Merlin moved so that he could lean back fully against Arthur’s chest.

The events of their days quickly caught up with them and it wasn’t long before both men had fallen asleep to the sound of gunfire and yelling in the background.

An hour and a half later, they were unaware of the noise that was emanating from their front door.

Gwen and Gwaine had decided to stop by and check on them when they didn’t show up at the coffee shop like they usually did on Thursdays.

Their knocks had gone unanswered for a couple minutes so Gwen used her copy of their key to let herself and Gwaine into the flat. She wandered into the living room and couldn’t help smiling at the sight that met her eyes.

“Gwaine, I think we will have to come back later.”

“Why’s that? Is the Princess too busy for us mere mortals?”

Gwaine walked over to where Gwen was standing and was surprised at what he saw.

Arthur and Merlin were occupying the comfortable chair with the latter curled up in the former’s lap and his head nuzzling his neck while Arthur’s arms were wrapped tightly around Merlin’s waist as his head rested on top of the other man’s.

Quietly yet quickly, Gwaine pulled out his cell and snapped a couple photos.

“You better not be planning to use those for blackmail, Gwaine.”

“What, me? Use embarrassing photos for blackmail? I never heard of such a thing.”

“It isn’t embarrassing, it’s sweet.”

“That’s why I did what I did. Merlin would never forgive me if I didn’t.”

“So you do have a soft side after all.”

“Don’t tell the princess; that’s between you and me.”

The pair carefully made their way out of the flat, in order to let and these were Gwaine’s words……let the sleeping beauties sleep.


	4. D is for Device (Gen Fic)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rumors had reached the heart of Camelot of a dangerous sorcerer stirring up trouble on the western edge of the kingdom, so Arthur gathered a handful of knights and Merlin to go check it out.

Rumors had reached the heart of Camelot of a dangerous sorcerer stirring up trouble on the western edge of the kingdom, so Arthur gathered a handful of knights and Merlin to go check it out.

As per usual, Merlin had to pretend that this didn’t bother him.

Merlin gathered up all of their supplies then readied the horses so the group was able to set out at first light so they could cover as much ground as possible.

As he finished up taking care of the horses, Gaius approached him before the knights arrived.

“Merlin, do be careful out there. We have no idea what the sorcerer is doing or even if it is just one.”

“I understand, Gaius but I will do what I have to in order to keep Arthur safe.”

“Even if it means sacrificing your life and destiny?”

“Perhaps that is my destiny.”

Seeing the worry on his mentor’s face, Merlin closed the distance and hugged him.

Gaius returned the hug fiercely for a few moments before letting go.

“I will try but I cannot make any promises, you know this.”

“I do, Merlin; more than you know.”

Hearing the knights’ approach, Gaius looked Merlin over one more time before returning to his chambers to get an early start to his day.

The men headed towards their horses when Arthur caught sight of Merlin.

“Ah, _Mer_ lin. There you are and you’re actually on time for once. You’re not sick are you?”

“Depends, does that get me out of going with you?”

Arthur rolled his eyes then mounted his horse with Merlin following suit.

The group set out with the sound of the horses’ hooves echoing in the quiet of early morning. There was a sense of urgency among the men which bolstered their desire to stop the sorcerer before any more innocents were harmed because of his actions.

An hour into the ride, the group was finally awake enough to make conversation.

“Alright, let’s go over the information again. Leon, you start.”

“Of course, sire. We have received reports of a sorcerer attacking villages on the western edges of the kingdom, causing all kinds of irreversible damage such as people being transformed, doors and windows disappearing so people are trapped inside of their homes, animals behaving oddly almost like they were humans instead.”

Arthur couldn’t help frowning.

“How is it that no one has seen the man responsible for all of this?”

This time, Elyan spoke up.

“I imagine, sire, that people fear for their lives despite there being a lack of deaths. It appears the sorcerer is going for mass chaos, not death and destruction.”

“Good point, Elyan. Now, what’s with that ugly look, Merlin?”

During the discussion, Merlin had been listening and doing his own thinking.

“I was just thinking, don’t say anything Arthur, that there could be more than one sorcerer involved giving the scope of what has happened in the villages.”

Arthur looked surprised.

“You know Merlin? That’s not half bad and actually worth considering. I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“Well, there’s a lot you don’t know, _sire_ , so that doesn’t surprise me.”

Merlin grinned when Arthur tried to swipe at him but couldn’t reach him.

The group continued on riding, only stop for a mid day meal when the sun was high over head and the horses needed a break.

Merlin set about making a simple but filling meal that would sit well in their stomachs in the afternoon heat.

Once the water skins were refilled at the nearby stream, the group set out to finish their ride and make it to the nearest town that suffered at the hands of the sorcerer.

They arrived at the village just as the sun was starting to go down and were met with several town representatives.

“Thank you for coming, Your Majesty. The people are terrified with this sorcerer running around and we don’t know how to stop him.”

“Of course. Let’s split up and check things out. Leon, Lancelot and Elyan go talk to some of the townspeople and get their impressions about the sorcerer. Percival and Gwaine come with me to check out the damage.”

The group split up with one of the representatives leading the trio of Leon, Lancelot and Elyan to where many of the townspeople were gathered while the other representative gave the others a tour of the damage.

Merlin followed Arthur, keeping his eyes open to try to find clues that the others would miss given his knowledge of magic.

“This building is the most….significant problem caused by the sorcerer.”

It was clear to the group exactly why that was; the building was just a giant slab of stone with no visible doors or windows.

“This is very peculiar. Did anyone see what caused this to happen?”

The representative nodded his head.

“A couple children were hiding behind some crates and saw the sorcerer use a box of some kind, about half the size of one of the crates they were hiding behind.”

He pointed across the street, diagonal to where they were standing and the group saw a stack of crates there.

They continued on with the tour for another half an hour before regrouping with the others so they could stop for the night.

One of the vacant homes was offered to give the group some privacy and so they wouldn’t have to stay outside and be at the mercy of the sorcerer.

Lancelot summarized what they learned from the townspeople.

“From what we gathered, the sorcerer has not killed anyone yet. It seems like he is more interested in scaring people than killing them though we cannot rule that out yet especially if he gets desperate. Desperate people have the potential to do dangerous things after all.”

Arthur paced across the small space that was open on the floor.

“Do we have any idea where he will strike next?”

His question was met many heads shaking.

“Alright men, you better get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day. Percival, you will take the first watch. I do not trust the sorcerer to not do something while we are asleep.”

The group settled down where they could as Percival found a stable chair and placed it in the best spot to see the room and not have his back to the windows or door.

Morning came quicker than the men would have liked but Elyan went around waking up the others as usual.

They ate a simple but hurried breakfast before they went outside and checked the edge of the forest to see if that was where the sorcerer was hiding out.

Once again, the group separated: Arthur, Gwaine and Merlin, Percival and Elyan, Lancelot and Leon.

Lancelot was walking past a large tree and looking in the opposite direction when suddenly there was a noise and that was the last thing that he remembered.

The sound of Lancelot falling caught Leon’s attention and he rushed over to his friend’s side. What he saw, shocked him: Lancelot had gained a pair of dog’s ears and a tail.

He bent down and shook Lancelot’s shoulder.

“Lancelot…..Lancelot……Lancelot.”

Slowly, the other man started to stir only to give Leon another shock.

“Woof!”

Both men stared at each other in shock.

“Come on, we should go find the others and tell them to be careful.”

Before they could move, there was another strange sound and Leon was surrounded by mist before Lancelot could do anything.

This time, the knight gained cat ears, whiskers and tail.

Sighing the best they could, the men headed back in the direction of the rest of the knights.

“Ah there you are, Leon and Lan……what happened to the two of you?”

Arthur’s comment caught the attention of everyone else and they froze in shock.

“Your friends can’t answer you. Well, they could be you wouldn’t understand them King Arthur.”

The voice caused the group to move closer to each other as they watched the sorcerer approach them.

“Why have you been cursing my men and several towns?”

The knights placed their hands on the hilt of their swords as they kept their eyes on him as he smirked.

“Oh _mighty king_ , it’s great fun. It’s not like I killed anyone.”

Leon and Lancelot huffed at his answer.

“Now, I think it’s your turn to join in.”

A dark wooden box appeared in front of the sorcerer and he waved his hand over it causing a beam of light to shoot out at Arthur.

Merlin was the closest person to the king so he ran towards him and pushed Arthur out of the way.

“MERLIN!”

Gwaine and Elyan yelled as Percival unsheathed his sword and tried to attack the sorcerer but was knocked down by a wave of the man’s hand.

In the meantime, Arthur ran over to his fri-servant to check on him.

Apparently, the magic light shrunk Merlin until he was the size of Arthur’s forearm.

“Are you alright, Merlin?”

Merlin glared at his king but Arthur couldn’t take him seriously because of how short he was.

“Oh, I’m just peachy _sire._ ”

“Well this is interesting. I had no idea the box could do that.”

The sorcerer looked on intrigued as he stroked his chin with his hand.

An idea occurred to Merlin and he gestured to Arthur to lean down.

“Arthur…..the box caused this and I will bet all the other problems. What if all we have to do is destroy it?”

Merlin whispered.

“That’s not a bad idea.”

Arthur whispered in response.

Standing back up, he gestured for the knights to join him as he placed Merlin in a tree so he was out of the way and wouldn’t be stomped on by his friends.

Arthur told them Merlin’s idea then they all rushed the sorcerer.

The sorcerer wasn’t the smartest so he was surprised that the knights seemed to figure out how to return everything back to their original states.

He tried to protect his box but was quickly overwhelmed by the knights.

Leon managed to run a sword through the sorcerer, ending his life so he wouldn’t cause more problems while Arthur and Percival destroyed the box.

There were several groans as Leon, Lancelot and Merlin started glowing for a few moments.

Once the light faded, both knights were completely human again and Merlin returned to his regular size.

“Let’s go check on the town and people then spend another night just to make sure everyone is recovered then set out first thing in the morning for Camelot.”

Arthur’s decision was met by several nods.

The townspeople were grateful for their help so they decided to throw a feast in their honor and even Merlin got to enjoy it for once instead of working like usual.


	5. E is for Escape (Merlin/Mithian)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin and Mithian get ditched by their friends at a party so they decide to ditch the party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a Merlin/Mithian Modern AU

The party was loud; between the music playing through the high end speakers and the number of people who were there.

Merlin was starting to get a bit of a headache if he was being honest.

Looking around the room, he spotted one of his friends standing off to the side so he headed in her direction.

“Hey Mithian, are you having a good time?”

“Hi Merlin. Not really; I mean, Morgana dragged me to this party then disappeared.”

“She’s probably off snogging Leon somewhere.”

Mithian snorted.

“That would be just like her. Now, if we could only get them to admit that they want to be more than friends.”

“Good luck with that. You know Uther won’t allow her to date until Arthur does and he’s not interested in anything more than a fling.”

It was Merlin’s turn to snort.

“He’s still upset about Gwen and Lancelot.”

Mithian arched an eyebrow at him.

“Is he really?”

A sympathetic look bloomed on Merlin’s face.

“Yeah, he is. It stinks that I can’t do anything to help him. He’s stubborn and won’t let anyone see him.”

Mithian sighed.

“Things will sort themselves out in time.”

He knew that she was right but Arthur was his best friend and it killed him to not be able to do anything.

“You don’t seem like you’re having fun. Want to get out of here?”

Mithian was surprised but she nodded her head.

“Let’s go then. I have Gwaine’s keys.”

“Won’t he need them?”

Merlin smirked.

“Between how much he’s had to drink and Vivian, it’s safe to say he isn’t going anywhere tonight.”

Since there were so many people in the party, he grabbed Mithian’s hand so they wouldn’t get separated then headed towards the front door.

“Are you sure you want to leave, Merlin?”

He flashed his signature grin.

“Parties like this aren’t really my thing. It’s Arthur’s fault that I’m here really so I don’t feel bad about leaving. Besides, I am going to something that is much more enjoyable with the best company I could ask for.”

Mithian blushed lightly at his words.

Eventually, they made it outside to where all the cars were parked.

The temperature difference between the inside of the house with all of the bodies and outside caused the pair to shiver even though it wasn’t actually that cold outside.

It took Merlin a couple minutes to locate Gwaine’s truck but he managed to and was pleased to see that they would be able to get out without much trouble or hitting someone else’s vehicle.

He walked around to the passenger side and opened the door before holding out his hand to help Mithian climb into the cab.

As it was Gwaine and he was over the top, his truck matched his personality though Merlin liked to say he must be compensating for something.

Once he was in the driver’s seat which he adjusted so he would be able to drive and buckled in, Merlin looked over at Mithian and smiled.

“I s there anywhere you wanna go?”

Mithian smiled as she shook her head.

“Surprise me.”

An idea suddenly came to him so he nodded at her then started up the truck and pulled out.

They drove back into the city for about ten minutes before Merlin pulled into the parking lot of  a twenty-four hour dinner.

Mithian looked over at Merlin.

“I thought milkshakes and less noise would be a nice way to finish off the night. This is one of my favorite places to come.”

“That sounds much more enjoyable than being dragged to a party then ditched by a friend.”

“I was hoping you would say that.”

Once again, Merlin helped Mithian deal with the monster of a truck then led her into the dinner.

A brunette waitress spotted them then waved them over.

Merlin smiled when he recognized the woman.

“Back again so soon, Merlin?”

“What can I say? The milkshakes are irresistible.”

The woman noticed Mithian standing next to him.

“And who is your lovely lady friend?”

“Angie, this is Mithian. Mithian, this is Angie. She’s my neighbor Peggy’s girlfriend and my favorite waitress.”

Angie’s eyes widened when she recognized the name then smirked at the pair.

“So this is _that Mithian_ that I’ve heard so much about.”

Merlin couldn’t help blushing as Mithian looked at him in surprise; then she turned her questioning gaze to Angie while trying to hid her smile which he missed but the other woman caught.

Deciding to help Merlin out because she honestly liked the dude,  Angie thought it was time to share a thing or two with his lady.

“Oh you didn’t know he talked about you? _‘Mithian is so intelligent,’ ‘her hair looks so soft and shiny,’ ‘she has such a beautiful smile.’_ ”

“That’s enough, Ang. Can we get a table please?”

“Your usual one is open; I’ll bring you a couple menus.”

As the pair headed over to the table, Angie couldn’t help smiling as she thought that they’d make a good pair.

Merlin’s usual table turned out to be a booth and as they sat down, he couldn’t help apologizing.

“I’m really sorry about her. Angie can be a bit much sometimes.”

Mithian smiled then reached across the table to grab his hand.

“Don’t be.”

They stared at each other for a few moments before Angie arrived to break the spell.

“So, you said something about milkshakes?”

Merlin nodded his head then pointed out the section with the different flavors of milkshakes.

When they were ready to order, he waved Angie over.

He gestured for Mithian to go first.

“I will have the strawberry milkshake, please.”

“And I will have the chocolate.”

Angie wrote their orders down.

“So is this more enjoyable than the party?”

Mithian smiled brightly.

“Very much so.”

It didn’t take long for their milkshakes to arrive and Merlin watched as Mithian took a sip of her shake.

Her eyes widened in surprise then she took another sip.

“You were right; this is a really great milkshake.”

Merlin took a long sip of his own milkshake as he felt himself relax; well, relax as much as someone could when their crush is sitting on the other side of the booth.

“How did you find this place anyways?”

“Through Gwen and Elyan actually. Their mother used to be a waitress here and they brought me here one day when Arthur was getting on my nerves and they didn’t want me to kill him.”

“How thoughtful of them. But weren’t Arthur and Gwen…..?”

Merlin chuckled lightly.

“This was when he was more of a prat than he is now and Gwen hadn’t fallen for him yet.”

“I think that I will have to ask her about it sometime.”

They continued to drink their milkshakes and get to know each other until Mithian’s phone went off.

It was that moment that they realized that they were still holding hands so they quickly let go as they blushed and Mithian pulled out her phone.

“It’s my mom, she needs me to come home now because our plans changed for tomorrow and I need to get some sleep.”

“I’ll drop you off at your place then go take Gwaine his truck back.”

Merlin paid for the bill then they left the diner.

Ten minutes later, they pulled up to her house and Merlin walked her up to the door.

“Thank you Merlin, I had a great time tonight.”

“Me too. Would you like to do something this weekend?”

“Yes, I would.”

Mithian kissed his cheek the smiled at him before heading inside.

In a slight daze, he walked back towards the truck when his phone went off. Merlin shook his head to clear it then looked at the two messages he received – one from Arthur ‘asking him to tell him where he was at’ and the other from Gwaine who asked where his truck was.

As he started up the truck, Merlin couldn’t stop grinning even though he knew his friends were going to yell at him once he got back to the house but he didn’t care.

After all, he had a date with Mithian this weekend and that knowledge made him feel invulnerable.


End file.
